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Three important details that tennis stats never show

It has become common practice to show all kinds of stats and diagrams during a tennis match. Mostly they are meant to show the stronger and weaker points of a player, and why player A is ahead and player B is behind. While this information is quite valuable from a sports betting point of view (and you should definitely watch them while placing in-play bets), there are other things you should watch out for.

First, you have to know that there are basically two kinds of players (although many players are able to mix their game and play both styles, depending on their opponent):

the kind who likes to play aggressive tennis and to be in control of the game. This type of player wants to score points and likes shorter rallies.

the kind of player who plays a defensive style and prefers longer rallies. He likes to profit from his opponents mistakes and patiently builds up situations where he can hit relatively easy winning shots.

After watching a while, it is relatively easy to tell who is trying which strategy. The decisive question is, how can you tell whether that strategy is actually working for the player. The aforementioned stats can help you a little bit with that, but that info only takes you so far.

What are the details during a tennis match that you should be looking out for?

Watch where the player stands when he hits the ball. Ever seen those images showing where the last xx balls have landed? Unfortunately, you'll never see something similar for the position a player hits from. But seeing that a player whose strategy is to play aggressively hit from behind the baseline all the time is a clear sign that his strategy is NOT working. You normally want to stand inside the court when you hit winners and aggressive shots, so you need to create a situation first and provoke a shorter ball from your opponent before you go for the killing shot. Trying to hit winners from behind the baseline means the risk/reward ratio is not so good.

Who hits more crosscourt shots, who hits down the line more often? There is a very basic, but very important strategic rule in tennis: when in defense, rather hit crosscourt, hit down the line only if you have good position (or you are in a hopeless and desperate situation). Meaning that if you see a player on a defensive strategy hitting shots down the line too often, it tells you he does not do that deliberately, but because he is forced to (mostly because he hits the ball just a tad bit too late to make it go across, or he finds himself in desperate spots). That means he is losing control of the game, and he is being overrun by the other guy.

Look at the body language that both players are displaying. The body language is an easy tell showing you what has happened in the last minutes, but even more importantly what will happen in the next few points. As a player, you want to look confident - meaning you "walk tall", like a soldier bravely going into battle. Slumped shoulders, downcast eyes are easy tells of a player who has lost confidence. Note that body language can change many time during a match, just as dominance during a match changes.

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